NonCommissioned Family
by racegirl17
Summary: A face from Gibbs's past makes him realize just how important his present is. But will he finally have the future he dreams of? Or will he lose his family all over again?
1. Masked Figures

She struggled to open her eyes. She could hear people moving around her and a gentle beeping sound. She was also aware of pain in her right arm and leg. Even breathing seemed to hurt. When her eyes finally opened all she could see was the bright light that hovered over her head. A masked figure appeared in the middle of the light.

"Jessi, you were in a car accident and are in Mercy General. Can you tell us who we need to call? Your parents, anyone who can give consent of care while you are in surgery?"

She started to say they couldn't call her mother, but she couldn't get her voice to work. Panic gripped her as she realized just how serious this was. Pushing the panic and pain aside she slowly moved her left hand up slightly and prayed her fingers would obey. Slowly she forced her fingers to make the letters she had learned as a little girl, D-A-D.

"You want us to call your dad?" The mask asked her.

Slowly she shook her hand yes, and then began the next set of signs.

"N-C-I-S?" The masked questioned, obviously unfamiliar with the acronym.

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service" a voice beside Jessi supplied. "Her dad must be a Navy cop. What is his name?"

Jessi frantically shook yes with her hand. Sure they understood where to call she started to sign the letters of his name.

"L-J" the mask translated when Jessi paused. "G-I-B-B-S. Your dad is L.J. Gibbs at NCIS?"

Jessi once again signed yes. The pain was becoming worse and black spots had started to float into her vision.

"Nurse Johnson can you get NCIS on the phone and tell them we need to speak to a L.J. Gibbs urgently. Is the OR ready we need to transport her now!"

Jessi was vaguely aware that her gurney was moving. "Please let him come" she prayed before the blackness overtook her once more.


	2. Photographic Memories

Author's Note: I am ignoring the last 5 minutes of Judgement Day

**Author's Note: **I am ignoring the last 5 minutes of Judgement Day. I would ignore the whole episode, but unfortunately for this story it works best to have Jenny dead.

He leaned back against his boat, sipping from his coffee mug. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept well since before the whole mess in California. The truth was he had stopped sleeping well after he watched Tony's car blow up on the screen in MTAC. Part of him hated Jen for the mess she had gotten them all in. The other part blamed himself. If he hadn't taken his margarita safari he would have been there to stop her, to protect all of them.

Taking another sip his eyes drifted to the photos in his other hand. The top one was of Ducky, Jen, and himself. Abby had taken it when they had all gone out together as a team one night. In a lot of ways it reminded him of Paris.

Taking a deep breath he reached over to set the stack of photos onto the small bench beside him. The stack slipped from his hand and spilled onto the floor. One lone photograph floated down to land on top of all the others. Two pretty red heads smiled up from the photo. The younger one had a tight grip on the teddy bear he had helped her win. Mother and daughter had drug him to the carnival, insisting that he needed a day out. He remembered wrapping his arms around the girl as she held the rifle. He had softly instructed her to breathe evenly, sharing tips from his training. She had pulled the trigger with confidence, hitting the targets as if she did this everyday. He could still hear her squeal of delight when she had won the bear. The hug she had given him could rival one of Abby's. He let his finger run over the image of her mother. God, he missed them.

He was brought out of his memories by the ringing of his cell phone. If it was DiNozzo he was going to kill him. He had shoved the kid out of his house about an hour ago with instructions to go home and sleep. The first few days after Jenny's funeral Tony had been glued to Gibbs, as if he would disappear if Tony couldn't see him. He only eased up after Vance was forced to resign amidst a scandal. Morrow had come out of retirement to be acting director until someone new could be appointed. Morrow's return seemed to comfort Tony in someway as he would allow Gibbs to at least get coffee or use the head independently. However he would still find Tony asleep on his couch more nights then the young agent spent in his own bed. There were times when Gibbs was scared that they had finally broken Tony, that this loss had been the one from which he could not recover. Tonight he had insisted Tony needed to be at his apartment. He wasn't trying to be uncaring he had simply needed the night to himself, to think things through.

He saw the NCIS switchboard number displayed on the caller id. They were off duty and Thompson's team was on call. Frowning he flipped the phone open.

"Gibbs" he barked.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I have been asked to transfer a call from Mercy General. They say that it is urgent that they speak with you."

"Put the call through" His gut clenched, something was definitely wrong. He thought of how tired he was, of how tired DiNozzo had been. He wouldn't be able to handle it if Tony had had an accident because he had wanted an hour to himself.

"Mr. Gibbs, my name is Claire Johnson and I am a trauma nurse and Mercy General. I am sorry to have to call you sir, but your daughter was in an accident tonight and has been rushed into surgery."

"My daughter?"

"Yes, Jessi, I didn't even think you may have more then one daughter. Sir, I really am sorry to have to call you. The doctors would like someone to be here for consent of care and such."

"I will be there shortly" He disconnected the call and pushed himself off of the floor. Setting his mug down his eyes landed on the photo he had been looking at when his phone rang.

"Be strong, baby girl, I am on my way." He told the girl's image. Grabbing his keys off the bench he rushed out of his house and towards his truck. He wished that he didn't have to do this alone, that her mother was beside him. She really was stronger then he was. He was all Jessi had now.

"I can't do this again" he whispered to the interior of his truck. "I can't go through this again."


	3. The Promise

Disclaimer: This should have been part of the first chapter

**Disclaimer:** I own none of the characters you recognize from the show. They are the property of the show. I am borrowing them for my own entertainment and hopefully for yours as well. This should have been part of the first chapter.

_Flashback Gibbs POV_

He was working on his boat when he heard the front door open. It was way too late to be Ducky. McGee never let himself in. The footsteps were too light to be DiNozzo or Abby's. He couldn't imagine what Ziva would be doing here either. Hollis and Jen were both out of town. The footsteps paused briefly in the kitchen. Fornell would have come straight to the basement.

Gibbs is surprised to see Jessi standing at the top of the stairs wearing his USMC sweatshirt.

"You should be sleeping."

"So should you. I think being alert is kind of important when you get shot at for a living. Besides I can't sleep." Jessi replied as she made her way into the basement.

"Why can't you sleep? Worring about school?"

"You know how I have been taking this film class?"

Jethro just nodded, remembering how she had reminded him of DiNozzo at dinner the other night.

"Well tonight we watched this movie about how these terrorists created this nuclear bomb. They managed to get it into this stadium and they detonated it during this huge event. DC was destroyed and it was chaos. And that could totally happen."

He quickly pulled her to him. Pushing her hair back and framing her face with his hands. He looked her in the eyes, waiting for her to stop her hurried ramblings.

"That is not going to happen, Jessi. I am not going to let that happen. You don't have to worry about that. I do my job so that you are safe." Jethro was very adamant.

"But it did." Jessi whispered. Jethro could feel her shaking slightly. "That man put the poison on the money. And people got sick. You got sick. It can happen. It can!"

"Jessi, we stopped him. The good guys won."

Jethro just held her, rocking her gently. Jethro knew that her fears were not based on the possibilities she had seen in a movie, but what had happened. They were almost too late with Sharif. She was terrified that the bad guys would win just once. Her whole world would stop when being shot at for a living became got shot.

"I am not going anywhere, baby girl. I will always be here when you need me. Always."

_End Flashback_

As he parked his truck in the emergency lot of Mercy General he was determined to keep the promise he had made in his basement.

**Author's Note:** I know I am evil and am still playing "whose the mommy?" Hit review and leave a guess. Have we met her on the show? Is she an ex wife? Why couldn't the hospital call her? And why isn't she with Gibbs? I want to know what you guys are thinking. I dare you to tell me even if it is to say you hate it.


	4. A Bad Goodbye

_These are the thoughts that are going through Jessi's head as she is unconsciencous._

Jessi stood in the doorway watching her mother pack. She had come to her mother's to study for the final she had in four hours. Instead her eyes were transfixed on the suitcase lying open on the bed. She was going to fail her final, not like she cared anyway. Jessi couldn't get beyond the fact that her mother was leaving; leaving D.C., leaving her job, leaving him, leaving Jessi. It didn't really matter, in a few hours she would get on a plane and she would be gone.

"Don't even start, Jessi" her mother ordered as she placed more clothes into the suitcase. "I am not having this argument again."

"Why?"

"Because I have made my decision and there is nothing left to discuss."

"But I need you." Jessi had sworn to herself that she would not beg.

"Most girls go off to college to get a way from their parents. You are old enough to look out for yourself; it is time that you start being responsible for yourself."

"This is because of him. You are leaving because of him. You are leaving me, because you can't stand being so close to him?"

"Enough!" Her mother turned her full attention to Jessi. "I am not having this argument again! We have done nothing but argue about this for the last week. I have had enough! I am the mother, which means I do not need to explain my actions to you. Now tomorrow morning I am getting on the plane. I am sorry that you don't want me too leave, but I have to do this. I have to do what is best for me." Her mother sat down next to the suitcase to catch her breath.

"Oh, I am sorry; I forgot it is about you. It is always about what is best for you. You have always done what is best for you haven't you? The rest of us don't really matter. We are just a means to an end. The late nights at the office and the most dangerous assignments all so you be the best in a man's world. It didn't matter that I was at home terrified that you would come back in a body bag because you were doing what was best for YOU!"

"Jessi," her mother tried to stop her.

"Even with my father you did whatever it took to get what you wanted. You couldn't bear the thought that he was going to leave so you found the one thing you thought would keep him tied to you. And then when he wanted you to choose between family and career, you chose your career because it was what was best for you."

Jessi watched the tears streaming down her mother's face. Her stomach churned as she realized that her mother wasn't going to deny any of it.

"Well guess what he left anyway. He left you with the one red mark on your perfect service record, ME. Go ahead get on the plane tomorrow since it is what is best for you. Why should you stop doing what is best for you now?"

Jessi stormed out of her mother's not bothering to look back. She was nearly back to campus when her cell phone started ringing. Seeing "mom" on her caller id she hit ignore. After the fifth call she shut the phone off.

The entire time she took her final she kept seeing her mother's pale face. As she handed in the mostly blank test she realized that there was something worse then getting the call that her mother had been killed in the line of duty.

She had gone out with friends that night as though nothing was wrong. They had been making their way through the various parties going on around campus. Jessi had been drinking heavily most of the night. She had managed to get separated from her friends shortly after they had entered the current party. Jessi wasn't really worried. She was too drunk to be worried, besides she had been chatting and flirting with this cute guy, Preston.

"I have never met a girl that drank bourbon before." Preston said as he handed her another drink.

"It is an acquired taste." Jessi slurred.

"And where did a cutie like you acquire this taste?"

"My mother's liquor cabinet mostly, though it isn't bad out of sawdust covered coffee mugs either." Jessi giggled.

Preston just smiled at her, obviously not understanding her train of thought.

"So what are you plans for next semester, Jessi?"

"I think I might quit school and join the Marine Corp"

"Why the Marines?"

"Because it would tick my mother off."

"Rebelling are we?" Preston smirked. "Enlisting so mommy can't tell you what to do any more? You could join the Army ROTC program and still go to school."

"Oh she might actually like it if I joined the Army; I would be carrying on the family tradition." Jessi swayed slightly reaching out to Preston for support.

He pulled her closer to him.

"We should get out of here. Go somewhere more private." Preston suggested.

Jessi let Preston pull her toward the door. They were on their way to porch when Jessi bummed into someone.

"Oh my god there you are!" Sarah shouted over the music hugging Jessi.

Jessi swayed again as she pulled back from the embrace. Her vision swam slightly as she tried to focus on her friend. Preston tugged at her hand again, urging her to continue on their path to somewhere more private.

"Are you drunk?" Sarah asked. "Where are you going?"

"Home with me," Preston insisted pulling Jessi again.

"Jessi, you really don't want to do that. You need to come back with me."

Suddenly feeling very sick, Jessi pushed her way outside. She heard people following her as hit the ground. She sat there crying and shaking. She could hear Sarah talking to someone on her phone behind her. Telling someone named Tim where they were. Jessi figured Preston had left. No one really wants me, Jessi thought as she passed out.


End file.
